Monthly Archives: March 2011

Roadside Attractions has released the trailer for Everything Must Go, based on the Raymond Carver short story, “Why Don’t You Dance?”. Directed by Dan Rush and starring Will Ferrell the film will have a limited release on May 13. The premise of the the movie is about a man living on his front lawn and selling all his belongings after he loses his wife and his job.

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Apple’s iPad 2 is still difficult to find in stores, so frustrated customers and lucky sellers are turning to eBay. Shortly after Apple releases new products into the market, they find their way onto eBay — at a premium, of course.

According to data released by eBay, the iPad 2 has been one of eBay’s most popular items over the last few weeks; eBay sold 12,000 iPads in the first two weeks (65% to US customers and 35% to international customers).

eBay says the largest population of iPad buyers abroad were in Canada and Russia, while China and Japan followed close behind. The two most popular iPads sold were the base 16GB WiFi-only model (for almost $200 higher than retail) and the fully-loaded 64GB 3G model ($406 higher than retail).

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Walt Disney Pictures announced today that actress/musician/singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel has performed three songs for the Winnie the Pooh movie, opening in theaters on July 15.

Actress/Musician/Singer/Songwriter Zooey Deschanel (“Almost Famous,” “(500) Days of Summer”) joins Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, performing three songs for the film, including her own take on the classic “Winnie the Pooh” theme song, “A Very Important Thing to Do” and the original end-credit song “So Long,” which was written by Deschanel and performed with She & Him bandmate M. Ward.

“This has been one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had,” says Deschanel. “And I’ve just been thanking my lucky stars that I was able to work on this movie, because it’s delightful.”

Filmmakers were drawn to Deschanel’s signature style. “She was the perfect choice to do the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ song—a classic theme from the Sherman Brothers,” says director Don Hall. “Her music actually embodies the underlying spirit of the movie. We’re taking something that has vintage roots in the sixties, but spinning it in our own way and updating it. If you listen to Zooey’s music with She & Him—that’s their sound to a tee.”

“I’m a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and all his friends,” says Deschanel, who also plays the ukulele in the song. “It’s really hard to pick a favorite: Winnie the Pooh is so special, he loves honey and he’s just cool. Eeyore is amazing, I love Eeyore. And Piglet is so small. It’s really a four-way tie between Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger.”

Deschanel’s songs, plus the Sherman Brothers classic and a host of original songs by Robert Lopez and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“The Wonder Pets”), as well as original score from composer Henry Jackman (“The Da Vinci Code,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), will be included on the “Winnie the Pooh” soundtrack (available Spring 2011 in select international markets, and in the U.S. on July 12, 2011) from Walt Disney Records.

Suspense has surrounded “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,” the Stephen King-John Mellencamp musical that the Alliance Theatre announced for the 2008-09 season, then promptly delayed. But the world premiere is officially back on again.

Atlanta’s biggest theater, which announced only the first part of its 2011-12 season earlier this month, saved a big surprise for Wednesday’s announcement of the second half, including “Ghost Brothers” among its final four plays.

The King-Mellencamp collaboration, with musical direction by renowned producer T-Bone Burnett (“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”), will close the Alliance main stage season in spring 2012. Alliance artistic director Susan V. Booth will direct.

The Alliance describes the show as a “Southern Gothic musical fraught with mystery, tragedy and ghosts of the past.”

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Billy Joel is canceling his planned memoir. “The Book of Joel” was scheduled for publication in June. The HarperCollins book was billed as an “emotional ride” that would detail the music legend’s failed marriage to Christie Brinkley, as well as his battles with substance abuse.

But in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday, Joel said he had changed his mind. Joel said it took writing the book for him to realize he’s not interested in talking about the past.

The 61-year-old singer says the best expressions of his life and its ups and downs is his music – and he’s going to keep it that way.

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The songs performed by the American Idol top 11 will be exclusively from Elton John’s back catalog and span his lengthy career. The theme is in honor of Elton John’s 64th birthday, which he celebrated last week (March 25).

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Bacon makes a classic ice cream sundae even more awesome according to Denny’s. The new salty sweet frozen concoction is part of their “Baconalia Celebration”. The MBS starts with maple flavored syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then a generous sprinkle of diced hickory-smoked bacon. Add another layer of syrup and vanilla ice cream topped with even more bacon and a drizzle of syrup. The Maple Bacon Sundae and the other bacon dishes will only be available for a limited time at participating Denny’s restaurants.

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20th Century Fox Home Entertainment officially announced today the Blu-ray release of Star Wars for September 16th, 2011. The studio will release the saga in three distinct sets “to meet the needs of every Star Wars fan: Star Wars: The Complete Saga (a nine-disc set including all six films, priced at $139.99; Star Wars: Prequel Trilogy (a three-disc set including Episodes I-III, priced at $69.99); and Star Wars: Original Trilogy (a three-disc set including Episodes IV-VI, priced at $69.99).

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, and much more.

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In many ways, Pixar’s 13th feature-length movie Brave (out June 22, 2012) ventures into new territory for the animation studio: The Scotland-set adventure film will be Pixar’s first fairy tale, its first picture starring a female protagonist, and its first film co-directed by a woman. Reese Witherspoon will no longer voice the movie’s heroine, a tomboyish princess named Merida, due to scheduling issues. Instead, the character will be played by the Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald (No Country for Old Men, Boardwalk Empire).

Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave is directed by Mark Andrews (the Oscar-nominated short One Man Band) and Brenda Chapman (The Prince of Egypt). Chapman conceived of the project, which was initially titled The Bear and the Bow, and was supposed to be its sole director — and Pixar’s first female director. But last October, it was reported that Pixar had replaced Chapman with Andrews. Now, although Andrews is presently in charge of guiding Brave across the finish line, both Andrews and Chapman will be credited as the movie’s directors, according to a Disney spokesman. (Reprinted from Entertainment Weekly)